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4 Dinners for £9

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We are very good at sticking to a weekly grocery budget of £40 per week for two adults and two cats that included all toiletries and cleaning supplies. However we have had an awful week as we have ran out of nearly everything in the toiletries and cleaning category! After buying all we need and all our lunches for the week we are left with 4 dinners to get and £9 left.

Does anyone have any suggestions of meals? We have the means to spend more I just dont want to out of principal!

We are moving house in a few weeks so our store cupboards are pretty bare too
Won a holiday every year since 2014......come on 2021!!
2020 Winnings Value £3750
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Comments

  • HappyMJ
    HappyMJ Posts: 21,115 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    4 dinners £9 for two people is easily doable. I budget £1 per person per meal and I eat quite well most of the time. You can a small piece of meat such as bacon or sausage, 2 veg and some rice or pasta for that. Most probably the pasta would be better right now as rice you need to buy in 10kg sacks to get it cheap enough per 100g. That's just a basic meal.

    With what's left in the store cupboard I'm sure you can make something. I've made some really weird things with what's left just before moving houses. Certainly nothing that I'd recommend but it's edible and saves me having to take the half empty packet with me.
    :footie:
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  • NewShadow
    NewShadow Posts: 6,858 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    I'd probably buy:
    a chicken (tesco whole chickens are on offer at £2.20/kg or c.£4 each),
    a box of eggs (12 free range for £1.75)
    a bag of tatties (2.5kg on offer for £1)
    a cabbage (50p for a sweetheart)
    some carrots (60p a kilo)
    and some 'shrooms (90p per 300g)

    Total - £8.75 (I'd actually buy the much larger box of mushrooms and some beans and be about £1 over your target)

    Meal 1 - 4 egg omelette split between the two of you - with half the mushrooms - I'm assuming some dregs of veg or cheese to add? I've recently been converted to tuna omelettes, and if you do have some beans in the cupboard :D.

    Meal 2 - Roast chicken - you've 2 breasts, roast potatoes, carrots and cabbage.

    Meal 3 - Stirfry - chicken legs, shredded cabbage and carrot and mushrooms (I'm assuming you've got rice, garlic, soy and/or ginger.)

    Meal 4 - Egg and chips - make home made wedges and fried eggs - again made better with beans.
    That sounds like a classic case of premature extrapolation.

    House Bought July 2020 - 19 years 0 months remaining on term
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  • beluga
    beluga Posts: 877 Forumite
    It should be very doable! What bits and pieces do you have in? Any frozen veg, tins, spices etc, rice? It could be an opportunity to use up and bits you have lurking. Where do you shop?
  • pigpen
    pigpen Posts: 41,152 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    bag of pasta £1
    cheapy mince £2.25 .. should do at least 2 meals.. maybe 3
    tuna .. 3 tins £1
    bag frozen mixed veg 50p or a stew pack for fresh veg
    bag spudatoes £1
    sausages £1/£2 8 should be enough for 2 meals


    sausage and mash.. could even casserole sausages or do half the mince & mash .. cottage pie even..
    bolognaise and pasta.. other half of mince
    tuna pasta
    remaining sausages and however you fancy your potatoes.. .. if you have flour and eggs maybe a toad in the hole!


    all of course comes with veg, bread and butter.


    add lentils to bulk mince out a bit if needed.


    extra pence to buy carrots or whatever veg is in the reduced bit.. I picked up a stew pack for 10p and then got stewing steak also reduced which did 3 meals for me and OH .. scrat about in the bottom of pockets and bags for stray change.. I usually have loads of shrapnel lying about!
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  • PasturesNew
    PasturesNew Posts: 70,698 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Egg & chips
    Egg chips & beans
    Chips & beans
    Omelette & chips (with or without beans)

    £3 ... and you'll probably get change :)
  • pigpen
    pigpen Posts: 41,152 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Egg & chips
    Egg chips & beans
    Chips & beans
    Omelette & chips (with or without beans)

    £3 ... and you'll probably get change :)


    enough change to buy rennies after all those chips haha
    LB moment 10/06 Debt Free date 6/6/14
    Hope to be debt free until the day I die
    Mortgage-free Wannabee (05/08/30)
    6/6/14 £72,454.65 (5.65% int.)
    08/12/2023 £33602.00 (4.81% int.)
  • Dog Pot!

    1 Tin of Kidney Beans 60p
    1 Tin of Toms 55p
    1 Tin of Tom Soup 50p
    1 pack of 8 Snorkers £1.20 (Sausages to those who do not BoP!)
    2 Onions 30p
    Mushrooms 80P
    Fridge bits to taste
    Serves 6

    Fry snorkers, mushrooms, and onions until cooked. Add Toms and soup to pan, mush up plum tom. Add to snorker and mushrooms
    Add fridge bits

    Serve with toast!

    That is three days sorted!
  • DrCarrie
    DrCarrie Posts: 923 Forumite
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    3-month emergency fund (Cash ISA & PBs): £4744/ £6,000
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    Additional pension contributions £0
    Overpayment on mortgage: £0
    Big Renno..£0
  • DisneyLisa
    DisneyLisa Posts: 207 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 100 Posts
    I have looked in the freezer and we have pork mince and a portion of breaded chicken. I thought I had emptied it so thats a bonus.

    What would you guys do with those?
    Won a holiday every year since 2014......come on 2021!!
    2020 Winnings Value £3750
  • katkin
    katkin Posts: 1,020 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    DisneyLisa wrote: »
    I have looked in the freezer and we have pork mince and a portion of breaded chicken. I thought I had emptied it so thats a bonus.

    What would you guys do with those?

    I'd be tempted to use the breaded chicken sliced to make a katsu type of curry.

    Depending on how much pork mince you have, meatballs with sauce and pasta and / or spicing it for chilli or stuffing peppers, patties or mixing with veg and noodles for a stir fry.
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